Hello everyone,
A month or so ago I created www.learntosubscribe.com to help the community teach our listeners how to subscribe to a podcast (get links at www.learntosubscribe.com/linktous.htm )

Now what I've done is tacked on a new kind of podcast directory at www.learntosubscribe.com/podcast ) The thought being that now that we have a fair amount of traffic coming in, why not get the new potential listeners while they are hot? (they go directly from the tutorial to the directory).

To help pay for the site, I've made this directory a little different (OK alot different). You have to pay to be included. But wait, hear me out. You can spend as little as $5 and you buy clicks (20 for $5 or .25 a click). You upload your 300X300 jpg image and if nobody clicks your image, your account is unchainged. If people click your link they are taken to your site where they will hopefully subscribe (remember they just watched the video on how to subscribe). I know not everyone will buy into this (or has ANY budet for this), so I figure those that participate will be the big fish in the small pond.

So the question is, would you spend .25 to get a new listener? I would love all feedback (good, bad, ugly, etc).

You can watch a quick start guide at www.learntosubscribe.com/quickstart

Dave Jackson
www.learntosubscribe.com

Here's the problem I have with this: People that are playing your video on their site are giving you free advertising (which is why I have not implemented it). So the question I have is, would you be willing to pay for the clicks that come from their sites to yours? Or would you credit accounts for click-throughs to you? You see where I'm going with this?

I'm all for monetizing podcasts, but the only real way I see this as fair is if you only charge the people that don't carry your tutorial (or link to it) on their site. After all, you just said you're getting a fair bit of traffic from the response to your tutorial; and it's gotta be coming from somewhere, right?

So in summary, and to answer your question... No I would not pay for this if I was hosting your tutorial or a link to it. It's a bad deal in that situation.

Eric

As a listener I'm not interested in a directory that excludes podcasts for any reason (unless it's a genre specific directory) so I wouldn't spend much time at a place like you describe. If you're only displaying podcasts that have paid for a spot in your directory then there will be lots of shows missing therefore as a listener looking for new content I'm not really being exposed to all the possible variety so I'm going to go elsewhere where there is a much broader pool of podcasts.

Oh and you're not really charging $0.25 for a new listener - it's $0.25 for a curious clicker. On various directories I click through to loads of podcasts that I don't end up subscribing to. I don't know exactly what my ratio is but I'd guess I subscribe to 1 in 30 or 1 in 40 or somewhere in that range. Not everyone who clicks on the images at your directory will end up subscribing to the shows so the podcaster would more realistically be paying $5-10 per new subscriber.

I have to agree with the others here (and, BSquared .. you're exactly right, it's clicks, not listeners ... and $.25 per click is pretty expensive) in saying that no, I wouldn't pay for this. There are far too many other directories out there that accept any podcast with a valid feed. Potential listeners are more likely, I think, to go to a directory like that one that has more shows available.

Not to be a nit picker, but if you use this video, you are not advertising for Dave for free. Dave created the video the advertisement is the payment for using it. If you use it, then you get a benefit Dave gets some advertising, it's a nice trade. Dave didn't magically make the video appear it took hard work and time.

If I understand it Dave, you want .25 per click. You pay 5$ and then 20 people click through to your site. What happens after 20 people have clicked, is the link disabled or do you get a bill? Either way, for an activity that is bleeding money out of my wallet this might not be the best option for me.

daryl

I'm well aware of the work that goes into video, Daryl, believe me, and I still stand by my assertion that it's free advertising. You think Pepsi produces an ad campaign in the hopes that someone will show it because they made it? If he's getting enough click-throughs to his site from that little video of his that it's worth it to set up a directory, then that video has already paid for itself.

The value of the video, BTW, is negligible compared to the amount of advertising and exposure he's getting (it did not cost him much to make it). If you think that's a fair trade, then by all means go for it. I don't think exchanging links in that regard is a horrible deal. He's making out better than you are, but that's your choice to make. Where I see the deal going really bad is the pay-to-play nature of the directory. I don't care how you spin it, it's not a fair deal if you're already sharing his link on your site.

Eric

Forgive me, this is in no way an attack on you as a person.

I don't think that I have disagreed more with a post on a forum. Comparing a video on how to subscribe to a podcast (which helps the podcaster who links to it by making it easier to subscribe to the show) to a pepsi ad campaign, (which would not do anything for the person playing it except maybe content.) is stretching it. The podcaster who links to this video will get far more out of it than Dave will. (IMHO)

But this is off topic. sorry if you want to keep debating then PM me, I'll keep it civil, promise.

I don't see how the discussion is really off topic. We were asked what we think. I said it was a bad deal, you disagreed. That works for me.

I know the Pepsi ad is a bit of a stretch, Daryl, and Dave's is a handy tutorial to have, but I also know of at least one other video out there that does the same thing, and the creator hasn't asked people to pay to be listed in a directory. And just to clarify, the only part I have a problem with is the paid directory listing, and that's only if you're already carrying the video. If you think your site gets a huge benefit from it, and you want to pay to list in his directory, then that's cool. I simply will not. There are too many free alternatives out there.

Eric

Eric and everyone,
Thanks for the feedback. I was trying to find something to do with the traffic I was getting from people using the video. The idea of the tutorial was to help boost subscribers. When I made the tutorial, the idea was not monetization. I originally had it dump into a directory (www.learntosubscribe.com/podcasts ) but it was kind of clunky, and in reality do we really need a podcast directory with 10,000 listings?

So I wanted to try something new and not overwhelm people with 10,000 choices. I figured only those people who were realy wanting to grow their audience would spend the price of a big mac extra value meal to promote their podcast.

To answer the one question, you spend $5 to start. Then as people click, your balance is deducted. When your balance goes to zero your ad is no longer displayed. You can look at the details, see how many impressions you received, check your click through rate, and decide to add more to your balance or not. (so you pay up front).

This discussion has brought up an interesting idea. Should it be something where people that use the video on their site get a special deal (.05 a click), and if so no I get to be an internet nazi.

I have a free promotion site www.podcastclicks.com that costs nothing. If you get traffic to your site, your banner is shown on other sites (banner exchange program - it has the ability to buy clicks, but only if you don't want to display banners on your site). That site has (at times) been a headache where people make "adult-ish" banners and list them in the religous category. So far podcastclicks.com has lost money - and thats fine - it wasn't intended to make money. I wanted it to break even. That's ok. We've generated 70 clicks so far this month (and 25755 since we started). I asked the users of the system to donate to help pay for hosting. I think I got $5 bucks.

So I'm not sure what the answer is. I know I (hopefully) have a person excited to subscribe to a podcast, and I wanted to "strike while the iron is hot" and put some podcasts in front of them.

So if you were me. What would you do?

Sorry, I was see the video tutorial and directory as separate.

Dave, if I was you I don't know what I would do. You've got bills to pay and a site to run, but we know that most podcasters don't want to pay to get listed. It is a tough question. ( and for the record, even though I don't link to the video, I like what you have done for the community.)

I don't think it's a bad idea, I just think that your price is way to high. If it were, say, .05 per click, then I'd consider it. As has been pointed out, clicks <> subscribers.

Charge the same five bucks, but give us 100 clicks for it. That might result in 10-15 new subscribers, which would be .20-.30 per subscriber range.

Ok folks your wish is my command. Well kind of..

All specific category pages .05 a click

Front page .10 a click

Thorw it on the wall and see if it sticks.